ENFIELD, NH May 8, 2013 – Leading Edge Design Group (LEDG), a leading national provider of energy optimization services, announced today that it will offset its carbon emissions with the Carbonfund.org Foundation, one of the country's leading carbon offset organizations. In addition to their existing effort to reduce emissions by advancing corporate recycling initiatives, improving office-wide sustainable products and systems procurement, and establishing team car-pooling mandates for customer visits to reduce travel related emission, LEDG’s CarbonFree® program participation supports their employees, partners, and customers who are striving to increase their own commitment to carbon neutrality.

“We are proud of our ongoing efforts to help our customers significantly reduce their carbon footprint but understand that this effort necessitates travel and the associated consumption of natural resources, “ said Todd Boucher, Principal, Leading Edge Design Group. “Our partnership with Carbonfund.org allows us to maintain our commitment to our clients while offsetting the carbon emissions required to support the successful implementation of our solutions.”

LEDG’s emissions offset purchase will go toward supporting reforestation projects in the US and abroad.

“LEDG has taken a significant step in recognizing that, despite concerted efforts to reduce operational emissions, there remains a portion of their carbon footprint that cannot yet be eliminated,” explains Eric Carlson, President of Carbonfund.org. “By becoming a CarbonFree® Business Partner, LEDG joins leading businesses and organizations around the world that have made this simple and affordable commitment to neutralize all annual carbon emissions and support our carbon reduction projects.”

ABOUT LEADING EDGE DESIGN GROUP Leading Edge Design Group is a leading national provider of energy optimization services that delivers significant energy savings to the public and private marketplaces through efficient data center designs and emerging LED lighting and wireless lighting control technologies. Founded in 2007 with the goal of pursuing, promoting, and providing the finest energy optimization solutions available, we help our customers minimize the environmental impact of their businesses while improving operational reliability and reducing costs. Leading Edge Design Group is dedicated to encouraging, challenging, and contributing to energy industry innovation with an ongoing commitment to our community and our environment. Visit us at http://www.ledesigngroup.com, review our work in the photo gallery, and connect with us on Twitter @ledesigngroup.

Even the most environmentally sensitive businesses know that their annual operations contribute to the increase in carbon emissions in our atmosphere, but the businesses that are truly committed to operational sustainability are taking simple and affordable steps to reduce their carbon footprint.

For the past six years, CarbonFree® Business Partner Arbor Teas has neutralized its annual operational emissions and its product shipment emissions in partnership with Carbonfund.org. Arbor Teas retails one of the largest selections of USDA-certified organic loose leaf teas from around the globe, most of which is Fair Trade, through its on-line store. In addition, Arbor Teas is committed to making a positive impact on the environment and has taken many steps to reduce emissions by offering only organic teas, reducing and “greening” its packaging and using renewable energy sources. However, their teas come from all corners of the world, so the shipping emissions are unavoidable. To mitigate these emissions, Arbor Teas has maintained a CarbonFree® Shipping program to offset the carbon footprint of annual product shipment emissions, and to offset all internal operational emissions, by supporting Carbonfund.org’s renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation projects.

“It makes no sense at all to sell an organic product if the method of delivering it to our customers is environmentally harmful,” says Jeremy Lopatin. “Although we do everything we can to reduce our carbon footprint, we’re happy to partner with Carbonfund.org to offset what we can’t avoid… yet!”

Almost three years ago, Arbor Teas became the first tea company to deliver its full line of organic loose teas in 100% backyard compostable packaging. With the release of this next generation packaging, Arbor Teas advanced its environmental mission, continuing to lead the tea industry through its staunch commitment to sustainable business practices. For the first time ever, tea drinkers are now able to compost their tea leaves AND tea packaging together in their home composting system. This innovative packaging is composed of a cellulose film made from wood pulp sourced from sustainably-managed trees, and the films used for Arbor Teas’ new packaging breaks down in a backyard compost setting.

Carbonfund.org applauds Arbor Teas’ long-term commitment to maintaining its CarbonFree® Operations and Shipping programs, and to its continuing innovation in the areas of product packaging and sourcing.

We all have a responsibility to reduce our carbon footprint and lessen the impact of global warming. That’s why the 2013 Green Inaugural Ball, aside from “greening” the event, has teamed up with Carbonfund.org to reduce its carbon footprint with two carbon offset projects: The Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge Reforestation Project and the New Bedford Landfill Gas-to-Energy Methane Project.

As a green event, we just couldn’t miss out on the opportunity to reduce the Green Ball’s climate impact, and help pave the road toward a clean energy future.

This area was once covered in dense forests, but now it supports less than 20% of its original 22 million forested acres due to decades of land conversion for agriculture. Why are forestry projects important? They help offset the effects of climate change, and help improve the quality of top soil, reduce and control erosion, protect and filter water while reducing the threat of flooding, produce oxygen and nutrients and provide habitats for wildlife.

New Bedford Landfill Gas-to-Energy Methane Project

This landfill gas-to-energy plant, located in Greater New Bedford, MA., not only produces 3.3 megawatts hours of clean electricity, but also reduces the amount of methane released into our atmosphere. Why is the destruction of methane important? It’s approximately 21 to 23 times more powerful as a greenhouse than carbon dioxide, and a major contributor to climate change. A major concern about climate change is the release of an enormous amount of methane –previously trapped in permafrost in frozen tundra areas like Siberia and Northern Canada – into our atmosphere.

Ecotourism continues to grow in popularity as environmentally-conscious travelers seek out adventures to natural environments while minimizing the negative ecological impacts of their trips. The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) has defined ecotourism as "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people." New Carbonfund.org partner Quasar Expeditions offers eco-travel adventures through the unique ecosystems of Patagonia, while ensuring that all on-the-ground tour emissions are measured and mitigated through Carbonfund.org.

In order to uphold their commitment to environmentally sustainable tour operations, Quasar Expeditions chose to partner with Carbonfund.org to calculate the emissions generated by each tour vehicle then mitigate those emissions by supporting reforestation and bio-diversity preservation projects around the world.

“Our recent partnership with Carbonfund.org is a big step for Quasar Expeditions in making yet another positive contribution to conservation and sustainable tourism,” explains Fernando Diez, Director of Marketing and E-Commerce. “Although our adventures are methodically designed to leave very light footprints, we know that there is always some environmental impact, so we are now happy to be offsetting our carbon emissions through Carbonfund.org.”

When planning ecotourism excursions, it’s incumbent upon travelers to carefully review and seek out tour providers that are implementing sustainability practices to limit the environmental impact on the fragile habitats they visit. Eco-tour related emissions may be unavoidable, but measurement, reduction and neutralization of these emissions is a key component to maintaining responsible travel options while fighting the negative impacts of climate change.

Online shopping has exploded in recent years and has rapidly become the norm in many countries. According to a recent report by U.K.-based Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG), global business-to-consumer e-commerce sales will pass the $1.25 trillion mark by 2013, up 30% over total 2011 online retail shopping sales.

While studies have shown that online shopping may reduce carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 35 percent compared to traditional retail shopping, many forward-thinking online retailers recognize that “green shoppers” expect even more in environmental sustainability.

New CarbonFree® Business Partner Tradewinds Imports, offering modern bathroom vanities and contemporary bathroom furnishings only through its online store, made the decision to neutralize its annual operational emissions by supporting Carbonfund.org’s global forestry projects. In addition, many of their vanities and bathroom furnishings are made from 100% reclaimed, recycled or sustainably forested hardwoods. Most of their vanities are hand-hewn, rather than machine-made, reducing carbon emissions during the manufacturing process.

“The global environment and the health of our forests is of the utmost importance to Tradewinds Imports, and we are immensely proud to announce our work with Carbonfund.org to help offset carbon emissions and repopulate the trees of our earth,” states Todd Harmon, CEO of Tradewinds Imports. “Carbonfund.org is a fantastic organization and we are very excited to aid them in their carbon reduction efforts. Being good custodians of our forests is vital to our lives as well as our business, so we are delighted to help Carbonfund.org meet their reforestation and avoided de-forestation goals.”

Carbonfund.org’s online retail business partners help to set the bar higher for reducing carbon emissions related to the shopping experience, and Tradewinds Imports joins its sister online stores Bath Gems and Patio Productions as CarbonFree® Business Leaders.

More than a couple of our past blog posts have covered how increasingly extreme weather is the product of climate change. However, have you stopped to ask yourself what that really means? How will climate change affect us and future generations? What things that we currently enjoy will be unavailable to our children?

A recent article covers some things that global warming is likely to ruin for our kids; things such as coffee, chocolate, strawberries. And the list isn’t limited to agricultural food items. Say goodbye to blazing fast Wi-Fi. Also your favorite vacation spot or even your home may be underwater in a few, short decades time. The country you live in may disappear. The article has some shocking images of Greenland melting away.

So what’s it going to take to help preserve the Earth as we know it? Global carbon emissions need to be reduced 80% by 2050. The U.S. has already pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by approximately 17%. Eventually legislation will be enacted increasing the goal to a 30% reduction in 2025 and a 42% reduction in 2030, with the ultimate goal of reducing emissions 83% by 2050.

Do your part in reducing carbon emissions and getting us closer to meeting the goals outlined above. Start by switching your Internet browser to www.envirosearch.org. Your regular, daily Internet search activities will begin contributing to renewable energy, reforestation, and energy efficiency projects. Then go to www.carbonfund.org for ideas on how to reduce your carbon footprint and offset carbon emissions. By working together, and each doing our part, we can change the fate of the planet.

The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) released a report on Wednesday, May 23, 2012 that estimates 150,000 additional American deaths in the country’s top 40 cities by 2100 due to the excessive heat caused by climate change.

The top three deadliest cities outlined in the analysis of peer-reviewed data include Louisville, Detroit, and Cleveland. Some other cities projected to have thousands of heat related deaths by the end of the century are Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Columbus, Denver, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Providence, St. Louis and Washington, D.C.

Why cities? Because that is where two-thirds of the U.S. population lives, and many municipal services there are not prepared to help people effectively beat the heat. Urban areas have high concentrations of poor with little to no access to air conditioning. Although everyone is at risk, children, the elderly, the obese, and those on medication are the most vulnerable.

We’re already seeing how global warming can kill with hundreds of heat related deaths annually. Extreme heat causes heat exhaustion and heat stroke and worsens illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and kidney disease. In 2006, a two-week long heat wave in California caused 655 deaths, 1,620 excess hospitalizations, and more than 16,000 additional emergency room visits, resulting in nearly $5.4 billion in costs. However, Chicago had an even deadlier record-setting heat wave in 1995 when more than 700 people died due to the excessive heat.

Some cities are learning from their experiences or heeding the warnings, and strengthening their municipal services. Chicago, Philadelphia, and Seattle have already put measures in place to lessen the risk from excessive heat days. Measures include improving the city’s heat warning system, emergency services, and establishing cooling centers.

There is hope; we can save lives by reducing emissions and improving emergency services. Some examples of climate change mitigation are supporting reforestation projects and using more renewable energy such as wind energy.

Carbonfund.org supports three types of carbon offset projects; each type plays an important role in the fight against climate change. The projects we support are third-party certified to meet the same high standards that thousands of companies, organizations, and governments rely on to ensure quality environmental protection.

Project Standards

Our projects are third-party certified to the highest international standards, and our project portfolio is audited annually and available online. Read more in project standards.

Your Carbon, Your Choice™

We know some people prefer renewable energy, while others prefer trees or efficiency. So we figured it’s your carbon, your choice. When you donate, you have the option of selecting your preferred carbon offset type.